The invention is directed to a process for the production of titanium disulfide of high purity and stoichiometrical composition by reacting preheated titanium tetrachloride with an excess of preheated hydrogen sulfide in a preheated reactor at temperatures between 400.degree. and 600.degree. C.
Titanium disulfide of the highest possible purity and stoichiometric composition has recently been used as electrode material for certain types of batteries. Titanium disulfide has many properties which make it attractive as active cathode material in secondary elements. The high mobilities of foreign ions and foreign molecules in the titanium disulfide lattice necessary for this purpose, however, in high measure are dependent upon its crystalline perfection, i.e., on the absence of impurities and a composition which corresponds to the theoretical stoichiometric value.
In the previously known process for the production of titanium disulfide (e.g. German OS No. 26 52 908, Austrian application No. 1596/68, and German AS No. 1224288), there are obtained products which either are not employable or not optimally employable as electrode materials for batteries since they still contain impurities and the composition also does not correspond exactly to the stoichiometric value.
In Thorp U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,297, there is described a process for the production of titanium disulfide in which a dry, oxygen free gaseous mixture of titanium tetrachloride and excess hydrogen sulfide are reacted at 460.degree.-570.degree. C. in a reaction container. The two reaction components thereby were preheated likewise to 460.degree.-570.degree. C. The gaseous mixture flows through the reaction zone of the reactor with such speed that the titanium disulfide particles formed are carried along in the gas stream and are not separated from the waste gases until outside the reaction zone, so that no crusts of titanium disulfide are able to deposit on the reactor walls. To avoid such titanium disulfide deposits, the temperature of the reactor walls besides should not be more than 100.degree. C., preferably not more than 50.degree. C. higher than the temperature in the reaction zone.
The product obtained by this process, however, in spite of a thermal post treatment at 130.degree. to 200.degree. C. still contains impurities and the other properties also are not sufficient for optimal use as electrode material for batteries.
Therefore, it was the problem of the present invention to develop a process for the production of titanium disulfide of higher purity and stoichiometric composition by reaction of preheated gaseous titanium tetrachloride with an excess of preheated gaseous hydrogen sulfide in a heated reactor at a temperature of 400.degree. to 600.degree. C. which is optimally usable as electrode material in batteries.